Getting started Before reading Maus, discuss with your students what they know about the Holocaust: Explore what books they have they read on the subject, and what films or television programs have they seen. Find out what they know about World War II generally. Discuss also the comic book form: What kinds of stories can you tell with a comic book? If you decided to tell a story about the Holocaust, what medium would you choose, and why? What would be the advantage of that medium? Reading Strategies Because of the length and complexity of Maus, it is advisable to spread activities over several days. The questions here can provide the basis for lively classroom discussions. They are arranged thematically. However, it is likely easier to discuss Maus a chapter or a book at a time, and therefore questions are listed roughly in sequence. Topics for Discussion
Are you familiar with graphic novels? Have you read one before? How does this one compare to something you might have read or what your previous impressions of graphic novels were?
Why was the graphic novel format a good choice by the author? Did the pictures add to or tell more of the story to the reader?
Each story is told a little differently. Chin-Kee's is told through a TV program, the Monkey King is a more traditional tale. Why do you think the author did this? Did it work?
Have you or someone you know transformed him or herself in a similar to the transformations of characters?
How do the characters' feeling about themselves influence how they think they are perceived or how they are treated? Do their attitudes toward themselves make them feel better or worse?
Would it be hard for you to move to a new country and try to fit in? How does Jin try to fit in?
What is a stereotype? What characters follow a stereotype and what are some examples from the book of that stereotype?
What lesson does the Monkey King learn that he passed on to Jin?
Jin Wang - the only Chinese-American student at his new school
Danny - the popular basketball player at school
Chin-Kee - Danny's embarrassing cousin
Monkey King - character of one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables
Comics Technique In Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud argues that a face drawn with great detail can represent only one specific person, but that a face drawn with few details—a smiley face, for instance—could be almost anyone.
Describe the faces in Maus. Are they iconic (could be anyone) or particular (could only be Vladek)? Why do you think Spiegelman drew the characters this way? Hitler reduced Jews to vermin. Is Spiegelman doing the same thing? Why? What adjectives would you choose to describe Spiegelman’s artwork? Generally, comics artists draw their works twice the size of the eventual published product. When the artwork is reduced by half, the resulting image is crisp and detailed. Spiegelman drew Maus at its actual size. Why do you think he did? Look carefully at the frames (the lines around the panels) and the gutters (the space between the frames). Gaps in the borders, and lines intruding into the gutters are considered "unprofessional." Why do you think Spiegelman drew Maus this way? Where do you think the artwork is most detailed? Where is it roughest? Is there something about those moments in the story that calls for a particular way of drawing? In the terminology of publishing, an image "bleeds" if it extends to—and implicitly beyond—the edge of the page. Where in book one does Spiegelman use a "bleed"? (See page 157, book one.) Why? Most panels are contained in frames. What effect does a frame create, and what effect does a bleed create? Explain the subtitle: "My Father Bleeds History." (Also look for the bleed in book two.) Look at page 159, book one. Analyze the page, panel by panel. Assess your reactions to the page. Predict what will happen next. (More specifically: Look at the fourth panel. What does the jagged speech balloon mean? Why do you think that? Look at the next panel. What is the meaning of the black squiggle over Art’s head? Look at the very last panel. Why is there no frame? What details do you notice about that panel? Artie’s back is turned, he’s carrying a satchel, and he seems to be smoking. What feelings does this frame express?) In book two there are actual photos. How are these images different from the drawings? How do you feel when you see photographs of Richieu and Vladek? (Refer to the previous questions drawn from Scott McCloud’s argument.) Try to explain the author’s reasons. Mice, Cats, Pigs, and Dogs N.B. Spiegelman wrote: "Stereos: Latin, meaning solid. Typus: late Latin, meaning form. Hence, stereotype: to give solid form to ideas. The stereotype was invented early in the eighteenth century as a way of making relief-printing plates from paper pulp molds. It’s the way newspaper comics plates were made until new technologies overtook the business in the 1960s. So comic strips were literally as well as figuratively generated from stereotypes."
(Source: Art Spiegelman, in "Mightier Than the Sorehead," The Nation, January 17, 1994: 45.) What are stereotypes? Are they harmful, and if so, how? What are some current examples of stereotypes? How does Spiegelman use stereotypes in Maus? Seek and select specific examples. Summarize his techniques, and analyze why he uses them. Infer the artist’s attitudes, and the reasons for his choices. Think about "Tom and Jerry" or "Itchy and Scratchy." How does the portrayal of cats and mice in those cartoons compare to those in Maus? Read the epigraph at the beginning of book two about Mickey Mouse. Compare this statement to your own assumptions about Mickey Mouse. Discuss the conversation about Walt Disney on page 133, book one. Hypothesize why Vladek might compare Art to Walt Disney. On page 43, book two, Spiegelman writes that Pavel’s "place is overrun with stray dogs and cats" and wonders, "Can I mention this, or does it completely screw up my metaphor?" What is the metaphor? Does it screw up his metaphor? Conversely, does it make a particular point? Words & Pictures The comics combine words and pictures. We know how to read words, but how do we "read" pictures? Look for general and specific examples of images as "text" in Maus. How do Spiegelman’s images supplant or circumvent words? Here are some examples to consider: What is a symbol? What symbols are on page 33, book one? What associations do these symbols have? What is the effect of the swastika in the panels on page 33? Is it the same in every panel? We see Art carrying a satchel at various points (for instance, on pages 43, 69, and 159 of book one). What does this image suggest? What does it mean to be carrying around baggage? Is the story about carrying around baggage? Explain. Look at page 64, book one. Why does Vladek wear a mask? Look at Spiegelman’s self-portrait inside the back cover. Why is he wearing a mouse mask? Hypothesize what that means. On page 81, book one, the children are playing with a train. Look for other images of trains. Look at page 136, book one. Try to ignore the words and just look at the pictures. Can you understand the story? Can you imagine the text? What visual clues does Spiegelman create for us?
Why is Vladek always riding his exercise bike? What is that a symbol of? What does that remind you of? What do the words tell us on page 41, book two? What do the pictures tell us? How many different things are the pictures trying to tell? In book one, Spiegelman draws masks to show Jews posing as Poles. What do the masks on page 42, book two indicate? Compare and explain. On page 42, book two, and the following pages, Art shrinks and grows and shrinks again. Why? Use words to explain what the pictures express. Assess the significance of Art smoking all the time. How often does the smoke squiggle appear? Count the instances. (More specifically: Look at page 69, book two. First look at the smokestack in bottom right corner; then look at the panel just above. Describe what’s going on? What does the smokestack have to do with Art’s cigarettes?) Look at the panel at the bottom of page 79, book two. Explain the power of the panel. Try to assess the relative importance of the words and the pictures. After the Holocaust How is the Holocaust a part of life after the Holocaust? Look at page 12, book one. What does the number signify? Describe its placement. On page 159, book one, Art calls Vladek a murderer. Why would Artie call his father, a Holocaust survivor, a murderer? In what ways does Artie’s life echo his father’s experience in the Holocaust? (More specifically: Look on page 74, book two. Art sprays the bugs with insecticide. What does that remind you of? What is Spiegelman’s metaphor? Why does Artie smoke all the time? Look at Art Spiegelman’s self portrait inside the back cover, and look carefully at the pack of cigarettes: the brand is "Cremo Lights." Infer: What do you think that means? What is Spiegelman referring to?) Maus Activities and Follow-up After reading book one, hypothesize what will happen next. Make a "soundtrack" to Maus. Choose three specific moments in the story. Select music to accompany those moments. Bring recordings, play them, and explain the importance of those moments and how the music reflects or responds to those moments.
Create a map of Vladek’s travels during WWII. Use historical maps and sources. Where were the borders? When? What were the names of the cities? Did the names of the cities change? When? Why? Summarize the cartographic and geopolitical changes that occurred. Interpret their impact on the lives of ordinary people. Artie is bothered that he does not have access to his mother’s story. Reconstruct her story by inferring from Vladek’s tale, and using any information you can gather from other sources (histories, biographies, autobiographies). List adjectives that describe the various sets of animals in Maus: mice, cats, dogs, etc. Arrange and analyze your findings. What attributes apply to more than one group? Do any attributes apply to all groups? Interpret what the groups share and what separates them. Do particular traits jump out at you? Are they affiliated with a particular group? Draw conclusions from your work. Draw yourself as an animal. Explain your self-portrait.
Lesson Plan 1
Getting started
Before reading Maus, discuss with your students what they know about the Holocaust: Explore what books they have they read on the subject, and what films or television programs have they seen. Find out what they know about World War II generally.
Discuss also the comic book form: What kinds of stories can you tell with a comic book? If you decided to tell a story about the Holocaust, what medium would you choose, and why? What would be the advantage of that medium?
Reading Strategies
Because of the length and complexity of Maus, it is advisable to spread activities over several days. The questions here can provide the basis for lively classroom discussions. They are arranged thematically. However, it is likely easier to discuss Maus a chapter or a book at a time, and therefore questions are listed roughly in sequence.
Topics for Discussion
Are you familiar with graphic novels? Have you read one before? How does this one compare to something you might have read or what your previous impressions of graphic novels were?
Why was the graphic novel format a good choice by the author? Did the pictures add to or tell more of the story to the reader?
Each story is told a little differently. Chin-Kee's is told through a TV program, the Monkey King is a more traditional tale. Why do you think the author did this? Did it work?
Have you or someone you know transformed him or herself in a similar to the transformations of characters?
How do the characters' feeling about themselves influence how they think they are perceived or how they are treated? Do their attitudes toward themselves make them feel better or worse?
Would it be hard for you to move to a new country and try to fit in? How does Jin try to fit in?
What is a stereotype? What characters follow a stereotype and what are some examples from the book of that stereotype?
What lesson does the Monkey King learn that he passed on to Jin?
Comics Technique
In Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud argues that a face drawn with great detail can represent only one specific person, but that a face drawn with few details—a smiley face, for instance—could be almost anyone.
Describe the faces in Maus. Are they iconic (could be anyone) or particular (could only be Vladek)?
Why do you think Spiegelman drew the characters this way? Hitler reduced Jews to vermin. Is Spiegelman doing the same thing? Why?
What adjectives would you choose to describe Spiegelman’s artwork? Generally, comics artists draw their works twice the size of the eventual published product. When the artwork is reduced by half, the resulting image is crisp and detailed. Spiegelman drew Maus at its actual size. Why do you think he did? Look carefully at the frames (the lines around the panels) and the gutters (the space between the frames). Gaps in the borders, and lines intruding into the gutters are considered "unprofessional." Why do you think Spiegelman drew Maus this way?
Where do you think the artwork is most detailed? Where is it roughest? Is there something about those moments in the story that calls for a particular way of drawing?
In the terminology of publishing, an image "bleeds" if it extends to—and implicitly beyond—the edge of the page. Where in book one does Spiegelman use a "bleed"? (See page 157, book one.) Why? Most panels are contained in frames. What effect does a frame create, and what effect does a bleed create? Explain the subtitle: "My Father Bleeds History." (Also look for the bleed in book two.)
Look at page 159, book one. Analyze the page, panel by panel. Assess your reactions to the page. Predict what will happen next. (More specifically: Look at the fourth panel. What does the jagged speech balloon mean? Why do you think that? Look at the next panel. What is the meaning of the black squiggle over Art’s head? Look at the very last panel. Why is there no frame? What details do you notice about that panel? Artie’s back is turned, he’s carrying a satchel, and he seems to be smoking. What feelings does this frame express?)
In book two there are actual photos. How are these images different from the drawings? How do you feel when you see photographs of Richieu and Vladek? (Refer to the previous questions drawn from Scott McCloud’s argument.) Try to explain the author’s reasons.
Mice, Cats, Pigs, and Dogs
N.B. Spiegelman wrote:
"Stereos: Latin, meaning solid. Typus: late Latin, meaning form. Hence, stereotype: to give solid form to ideas. The stereotype was invented early in the eighteenth century as a way of making relief-printing plates from paper pulp molds. It’s the way newspaper comics plates were made until new technologies overtook the business in the 1960s. So comic strips were literally as well as figuratively generated from stereotypes."
(Source: Art Spiegelman, in "Mightier Than the Sorehead," The Nation, January 17, 1994: 45.)
What are stereotypes? Are they harmful, and if so, how? What are some current examples of stereotypes? How does Spiegelman use stereotypes in Maus? Seek and select specific examples. Summarize his techniques, and analyze why he uses them. Infer the artist’s attitudes, and the reasons for his choices.
Think about "Tom and Jerry" or "Itchy and Scratchy." How does the portrayal of cats and mice in those cartoons compare to those in Maus? Read the epigraph at the beginning of book two about Mickey Mouse. Compare this statement to your own assumptions about Mickey Mouse. Discuss the conversation about Walt Disney on page 133, book one. Hypothesize why Vladek might compare Art to Walt Disney.
On page 43, book two, Spiegelman writes that Pavel’s "place is overrun with stray dogs and cats" and wonders, "Can I mention this, or does it completely screw up my metaphor?" What is the metaphor? Does it screw up his metaphor? Conversely, does it make a particular point?
Words & Pictures
The comics combine words and pictures. We know how to read words, but how do we "read" pictures? Look for general and specific examples of images as "text" in Maus.
How do Spiegelman’s images supplant or circumvent words?
Here are some examples to consider:
What is a symbol? What symbols are on page 33, book one? What associations do these symbols have? What is the effect of the swastika in the panels on page 33? Is it the same in every panel?
We see Art carrying a satchel at various points (for instance, on pages 43, 69, and 159 of book one). What does this image suggest? What does it mean to be carrying around baggage? Is the story about carrying around baggage? Explain.
Look at page 64, book one. Why does Vladek wear a mask? Look at Spiegelman’s self-portrait inside the back cover. Why is he wearing a mouse mask? Hypothesize what that means.
On page 81, book one, the children are playing with a train. Look for other images of trains.
Look at page 136, book one. Try to ignore the words and just look at the pictures. Can you understand the story? Can you imagine the text? What visual clues does Spiegelman create for us?
Why is Vladek always riding his exercise bike? What is that a symbol of? What does that remind you of?
What do the words tell us on page 41, book two? What do the pictures tell us? How many different things are the pictures trying to tell?
In book one, Spiegelman draws masks to show Jews posing as Poles. What do the masks on page 42, book two indicate? Compare and explain.
On page 42, book two, and the following pages, Art shrinks and grows and shrinks again. Why? Use words to explain what the pictures express.
Assess the significance of Art smoking all the time. How often does the smoke squiggle appear? Count the instances. (More specifically: Look at page 69, book two. First look at the smokestack in bottom right corner; then look at the panel just above. Describe what’s going on? What does the smokestack have to do with Art’s cigarettes?)
Look at the panel at the bottom of page 79, book two. Explain the power of the panel. Try to assess the relative importance of the words and the pictures.
After the Holocaust
How is the Holocaust a part of life after the Holocaust?
Look at page 12, book one. What does the number signify? Describe its placement.
On page 159, book one, Art calls Vladek a murderer. Why would Artie call his father, a Holocaust survivor, a murderer?
In what ways does Artie’s life echo his father’s experience in the Holocaust? (More specifically: Look on page 74, book two. Art sprays the bugs with insecticide. What does that remind you of? What is Spiegelman’s metaphor? Why does Artie smoke all the time? Look at Art Spiegelman’s self portrait inside the back cover, and look carefully at the pack of cigarettes: the brand is "Cremo Lights." Infer: What do you think that means? What is Spiegelman referring to?)
Maus Activities and Follow-up
After reading book one, hypothesize what will happen next.
Make a "soundtrack" to Maus. Choose three specific moments in the story. Select music to accompany those moments. Bring recordings, play them, and explain the importance of those moments and how the music reflects or responds to those moments.
Create a map of Vladek’s travels during WWII. Use historical maps and sources. Where were the borders? When? What were the names of the cities? Did the names of the cities change? When? Why? Summarize the cartographic and geopolitical changes that occurred. Interpret their impact on the lives of ordinary people.
Artie is bothered that he does not have access to his mother’s story. Reconstruct her story by inferring from Vladek’s tale, and using any information you can gather from other sources (histories, biographies, autobiographies).
List adjectives that describe the various sets of animals in Maus: mice, cats, dogs, etc. Arrange and analyze your findings. What attributes apply to more than one group? Do any attributes apply to all groups? Interpret what the groups share and what separates them. Do particular traits jump out at you? Are they affiliated with a particular group? Draw conclusions from your work.
Draw yourself as an animal. Explain your self-portrait.